Belgian GP: Ferrari race report

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro came away from the Belgian Grand Prix with just a
fourth place, thanks to a strong performance from Felipe Massa in a race
that was incident filled and run in changeable weather. Fernando Alonso was
T-boned by Barrichello...

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro came away from the Belgian Grand Prix with just a
fourth place, thanks to a strong performance from Felipe Massa in a race
that was incident filled and run in changeable weather. Fernando Alonso was
T-boned by Barrichello at the Bus Stop on the opening lap and had to make an
unscheduled pit stop. After that he staged a great climb back up the order
before spinning out of the race on lap 38. After thirteen races, the
positions in the two classifications remain the same, but the gaps to the
leaders in both the Drivers' and the Constructors' are now more significant.

Stefano Domenicali: "This weekend definitely did not end well for us, even
if Felipe's fourth place, at the end of an impeccable and error free race in
conditions that were far from easy, is an important result. Fernando saw his
race compromised right from the first lap, the unwitting victim of an
accident and then, despite fighting his way up the order, he ended up off
the track in the sort of incident that can easily happen in a rain-affected
race. Apart from that, and any other considerations, we must recognise that
our performance in this Grand Prix did not match our expectations and
interrupted a positive trend that began a few races ago: we have to
understand why immediately and take the necessary countermeasures. The
situation in both championships is certainly more difficult, but it is still
not impossible for us to reach our targets: for those with short memories, I
remember that three years ago, we found ourselves in a much worse situation
and we all know how it went in the end."

Felipe Massa: "I think this is a positive result and, given the way the race
went and the accidents that put Vettel and Button out of the game, we can
even say we were a bit lucky. This weekend, Red Bull and McLaren were
stronger than us, but we worked well as a team, making the right choices
before and during the race. Our set-up was a bit more efficient in the dry,
while we suffered a bit in the wet, especially in the middle sector, while
in the first two we were reasonably competitive. Now we go to Monza, for our
home race: we hope to do well at a track where speed and stability under
braking count for a lot. We will continue to fight right to the end, even if
the situation in the championship is ever more compromised."

Fernando Alonso: "The first of the seven "finals" went badly for me and for
two of the other five finalists, while the remaining two got the maximum
results: that means we will have to make up the ground lost today somewhere
else. At the start, I immediately made up some places and the signs were
that I could have a good race. Then, I found myself in the wrong place at
the wrong time, when Rubens could not control his car under braking and
crashed into me. I came straight back to the pits to change the tyres and to
check the car was alright, when we fitted intermediate tyres, expecting more
persistent and harder rain, but that was not the case. Yesterday we were
hoping for rain, but when it came it was already too late to be of much use
to me; on the contrary it prevented me from getting the chance to overtake
the cars which would have had to stop to fit the soft tyres. Then I went off
the track, when I went over a kerb and that was my race over: a shame even
if the points I could have brought home would not have been a lot. It is
very disappointing, because this is a bad result, but it does not mean I
have given up on my chances of winning the title."

Chris Dyer: "Felipe had a good race, always keeping out of trouble and he
made the right choices, bringing home a good result, given our performance
level in this Grand Prix, which definitely did not live up to our
expectations. However, on the other side of the garage, the mood is one of
great disappointment, because the lack of points seriously complicates
Fernando's chances in the title fight. His race was immediately an uphill
struggle, because of the collision with Barrichello, which meant he had to
pit immediately. At that point we took the gamble of fitting intermediate
tyres, given that we had nothing to lose, but then we had to bring him in
again for dry tyres. It was a good climb up the order, but in the end he
went off the track in the wet which ended any last chance of scoring points.
Clearly there is much work to do in order to tackle the remaining six races
of the season in the best way possible."